OSHA Issues Interim Guidelines for Silica Standard Enforcement for Roofing Contractors
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its official interim enforcement guidelines for the newly-implemented silica standard.
The key provision of the rule with the greatest potential impact to roofing contractors is the reduction of the allowable exposure limit from 250 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over a traditional eight-hour shift. The standard was approved last year but implementation was delayed until last September while the agency developed guidelines for enforcement of the controversial changes.